The present invention generally relates to the field of military ordinance. In particular, it relates to a sleeve for supporting a Kinetic Energy (KE) penetrator rod to increase the rods armor defeat capabilities.
Tactical KE projectiles are well known in the ammunition community and are made in small, medium and large caliber from 20 to 120 mm. FIG. 1 illustrates a cross sectional view of KE projectile 10. The KE projectile 10 is comprised of a sabot 15, rod 20 (also referenced as a penetrator or projectile rod 20), a nose 25, and a fin 30.
The sabot supports the penetrator rod and is typically made of three pieces or petals that are discarded from the rod as soon as the projectile exits the gun tube and moves past the gun gases.
The projectile rod 20, nose 25, and fin 30 are known as the in-flight projectile. The fin and nose provide stability during flight of the KE projectile. The penetrator or projectile rod is what defeats the target. When the sabot is attached to the in-flight components the projectile is known as the in-bore projectile. A retaining ring (not shown) is imbedded in the front and back of the sabot. This retaining ring holds the petals of the sabot together.
When the projectile is launched from the gun tube, the scoop in front of the sabot captures air and a force is applied to the sabot sections. When the force exerted by the air exceeds the strength of the retaining rings, the retaining ring breaks, allowing the petals of the sabot to come apart and move away from the in-flight projectile. After the sabot is discarded, the in-flight projectile travels on to the target. The target is typically protected with heavy armor.
The projectile rod penetrates or defeats (i.e., when the penetrator rod completely penetrates the armor) the target utilizing the very high velocity (kinetic energy) at which the rod is traveling. An increase in projectile rod velocity increases the armor thickness that the rod can penetrate.
Numerous conventional rods are made of Depleted Uranium (DU) or Tungsten. These penetrators offer the best target penetration compared to other materials due to their material properties. However, rods made of DU and Tungsten may create environmental problems due to their ability to leach toxic materials into the ground. In addition, rods made of DU and tungsten are extremely heavy, reducing the velocity achievable by the KE projectile.
There is a relationship of the weight of the projectile rod, weight of the in-bore projectile, length of the projectile rod, velocity of the projectile rod, material of the rod and the ability of the rod to defeat armor of various thickness. The heavier the rod the heavier the projectile and slower the in-flight projectile can be launched. Higher velocities for a given length, diameter of a DU or Tungsten rod will defeat thicker armor.
For a given diameter and velocity a longer DU or Tungsten projectile rod usually will defeat thicker armor given that it is not to long and begins to bow excessively in flight. The designer of a KE rod therefore tries to balance the projectile weight, diameter, length and material to get a KE rod that will defeat the thickest armor threats (enemy vehicles). Currently US Army engineers are looking for better KE projectile designs that can penetrate or defeat future enemy armor which will be extremely thick.
What is needed is a method for reducing the diameter of the rod, thus reducing the volume of DU or Tungsten in the rod without affecting the penetration capability. This will reduce the weight of the KE rod while increasing the velocity and kinetic energy. In addition, this will reduce the amount of DU or tungsten that is in the penetrator rod and therefore decrease the environmental impact. This new design should provide adequate structural support of the KE projectile during flight and target impact. The need for such a system has heretofore remained unsatisfied.